Posts categorized "Productivity"

January 06, 2016

A few days ago, I actually sat down to jot a few goals for the year, but the problem with that is once you start, it begins to snowball.

It starts innocently enough, with one or two big goals, like say, "I will write a new book proposal by March 1" and then quickly you think, "if I'm going to do that, I'll need to get going at a decent time every morning, which means I need to go to bed earlier, which means I can't eat nachos at 10 pm. Which means I need to eat better, and of course be sure and drink 8 glasses of water and I'll have to lose five pounds of Christmas weight, plus train for a triathalon and finish my degree.

See where this is going?

Before you know it, I've mapped out this whole new lifestyle for myself, which I know I'll never be able to keep up with by Friday.

It's the same old me, biting off more than I can chew.

This is why I'm a fan of vague ideas and fuzzy goals for the new year.

Hey, it works for me.

One of my fuzzy goals is to "READ MORE." (Notice how it's not quantified?) I don't have a set number of books I'd like to complete, but I'm not worried about that.

I know I will accomplish my hazy target, because of one simple trick:

I will keep track of my finished books. Each time I complete a book, I'll make a list in my Evernote app, which I've recently resurrected.

You see, simply keeping track of my activity is a huge motivator.

And I have science to back me up. Studies show that students who simply chart their progress achieve far greater results than those who do not. You might also know about the famous "Jerry Seinfeld" productivity technique - "Don't Break the Chain." It's worth reading!

If you are struggling to set and keep goals, I urge you to stop and back away. Put your hands down at your sides, now move slowly away from the carnage of failure.

Thaaaat's it. Keep going.

Now. Don't beat yourself up.

You're going to be okay.

Hey, some of us who use "winging it" as their Standard Operating Procedure have some work-arounds for getting things done.

This is one you can use right away!

What will you keep track of today? Why not record the number of glasses of water you drink? Or write down if you exercised (or not)? Keep a tally of your spending, or jot down your daily word count on that novel. It doesn't matter what it is.

Don't set a goal, just write down what you're already doing. Tomorrow, do it again. Repeat.

So simple - YOU GOT THIS!! You'll be surprised at how effective this will be, and before long you'll be making real PROGRESS toward those vague goals that you never set in the first place.